Russian President Vladimir Putin and US presidential candidate Donald Trump did not interact on the topic of Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by state news agency TASS on July 3 as saying.
Responding to a request for comment on Western media reports that Mr Trump was in contact with the Russian leader about the conditions for restoring peace in Ukraine, a Kremlin official said: “No, this is not true.”
Previously, Politico quoted sources as saying that Mr. Trump was "considering an agreement in which NATO commits not to expand further east" and planned to negotiate with the Russian President "about how much of Ukraine's territory Moscow can keep."
Ukrainian tanks fire at Russian positions in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, where fierce fighting with the Russian Army took place. Photo: AP/Indepdendent
“A quick resolution to the 2½-year-old conflict in Ukraine could also play a major role in Trump’s plans for NATO. As part of a previously unreported Ukraine plan, the Republican presidential nominee is considering a deal in which NATO would pledge not to expand further eastward — specifically into Ukraine and Georgia — and negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin over how much Ukrainian territory Moscow could keep,” Politico reported on July 2, citing two national security experts close to Trump.
The Politico article, citing both named and unnamed officials, suggested that if Trump returns to the White House, the veteran Republican would change the US stance on Ukraine, as well as create a two-tier NATO system; only members that meet a spending threshold of 2% of GDP would receive “US security guarantees”.
Former Trump national security officials and defense experts who could serve a second term, if Trump wins, told the publication that he is unlikely to abandon the alliance, but expect European countries to increase defense spending.
Politico also said neither Mr. Trump nor his campaign has named a new national security team or publicly embraced a new agenda for NATO. The Trump campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article.
The US will hold a presidential election on November 5. Mr. Trump has secured enough votes for the Republican Party's presidential nomination.
Minh Duc (According to TASS, Politico)
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